I want to start this by saying that I haven’t followed the mass of media (mostly outside of Japan) about “The Cove” particularly closely, and nor have I seen the documentary. But I have seen enough to know the broad strokes, and what I wanted to say is more about general ideas anyway, so I will leave the details for someone else.

“The Cove” purportedly is a documentary that explains the traditional killing of dolphins by fishermen in a small town in Japan. It was awarded the Academy Award for best documentary on Sunday in LA, something that was by no means a shock to anyone. The Hollywood set love issues like this, and were always going to vote in droves to ’save the dolphins’.

I’m Australian by birth, and I have often been asked by Japanese people to share my feelings about issues such as those set out in “The Cove”, and also, more commonly, about the related issue of whaling. Australia are of course very vocal in opposition to Japan’s whaling practices, and this has become even more the case under the Rudd government, with the rhetoric escalating more and more still in recent weeks. Whenever I’ve been asked to give my own opinions though, I think people have been surprised to hear them.

I may be branded an ‘animal hater’ with a cold heart of stone for saying this, but I don’t have a problem with whaling or even killing dolphins (for food and other traditional uses), per se. I do have a problem with it if it is done in a particularly cruel manner, which seems to be part of what “The Cove” alleges. Part, but not, if you believe the press, the biggest part.

The problem that I have with all the hysteria surrounding whaling etc. in Japan is that those against the practice move far too quickly and easily into moralistic and ‘we’re better people than you’ rhetoric, which is purely ｅmotional and thus meaningless in terms of coming to an understanding. I am comfortable with morality in a general sense, but I see far too much rhetoric on these issues that centers around whales and dolphins somehow being superior moral animals to other kinds of animals such as pigs, cows, lambs or chickens that people in the West eat with regularity. If this is what they believe, they are welcome to believe it. But it will never be convincing to a society that has a long tradition of taking so much of their meat from the sea. Some even stretch the argument further, to make some kind of equivalence between humans and animals, which I reject. They are free to believe it, but I believe that animals are to be used for food and the needs of humanity, and that humanity are to be stewards, but not absolutist protectors of all animal life on this planet.

I don’t know specifically what arguments “The Cove” makes. But I have read enough to believe that while there may be a great deal of value in the film, there may also be a great deal of propaganda. Telling the difference can be difficult, especially when resorting to emotive means to tell your story. One of the great failings of the anti-whaling debate (and yes, I know that I am conflating two somewhat separate, but in my opinion sufficiently similar issues) is that the anti-whaling side in recent years have taken to means that do their own cause nothing but harm. They resort to attacks on vessels that are conducting whaling activities, and use purely emotive arguments where scientific ones would be vastly more effective.

I don’t know the exact scientific figures for whale populations. Those on the anti-whaling side say that the whales are endangered and need to be protected. But intuitively I know that this is not the case with all whales, only certain varieties. The Japanese scientists claim that they are operating in a responsible manner, which does not endanger the whale population (I know that I am using ‘whale’ in the general form here, though there are many different species). Who is right? This is the debate that needs to be had, and it seems at least to me that there has not been a true consensus of opinion one way or the other. Maybe many in the international community believe that there has been, but I would like to see a lot more discussion of these facts as opposed to the emotional outbursts and propaganda that we see so often characterizing the debate.

If Japan are able to continue their whaling activities without endangering the existence of the whales that they catch or ’study’, then they should be allowed to continue to do so without molestation. If they are truly acting in an irresponsible manner and endangering the sustainability of species, then interested parties around the world should continue to exert pressure on the issue. Perhaps the true answer lies somewhere in between, in some gray area, in which case more research would be needed – and less hysterical posturing.

Oricon Singles Chart for the Week of Feb 23 – Mar 1:

(Rank, Artist, Song Name, No. of Units, Last week, Purchase Info.)

1. Hey! Say! JUMP, Hitomi no Screen, 201,897, NEW BUY

2. Imai Tsubasa, Backborn, 32,110, NEW BUY

3. Nishino Kana, Best Friend, 23,506, NEW BUY

4. Hannya & Fruit Punch, Onara Hazukashikunai yo/Pirameki Taisou, 23,130, 3 BUY

5. AKB48, Sakura no Shiori, 22,223, 1 BUY

6. KAT-TUN, Love yourself, 16,759, 2 BUY

7. Kitano Kie, Sakura Saku, 16,297, NEW BUY

8. Chihara Minori, Yasashii Bokyaku, 15,407, NEW BUY

9. Shinsengumi Lien, Honto ni boku de Iindesu ka, 15,303, NEW BUY

10. Mano Erina, Haru no Arashi, 14,736, NEW BUY

Source: Oricon Weekly Singles Chart

(Click on the song name to watch the music video for that single. Then buy your favorites from Amazon Japan using the ‘BUY’ links.).

Oricon Singles Chart for the Week of Feb 16 – Feb 22:

(Rank, Artist, Song Name, No. of Units, Last week, Purchase Info.)

1. AKB48, Sakura no Shiori, 317,828, NEW BUY

2. KAT-TUN, Love yourself, 39,419, 1 BUY

3. Hannya & Fruit Punch, Onara Hazukashikunai yo/Pirameki Taisou, 39,143, 2 BUY

4. fripSide, Level 5 – judgelight, 30,738, NEW BUY

5. Yuki, Ureshikutte Dakiauyo, 17,829, NEW BUY

6. Sa-Ta AndaGi, Yambaru Kuina ga Tonda, 10,420, 6 BUY

7. Mizuki Nana, Silent Bible, 9,572, 3 BUY

8. Ebisu Muscats, Banana, Mango High School, 9,127, NEW BUY

9. Angelo, Hikari no Kioku, 8,858, NEW BUY

10. Matsushita Yuya, Trust Me, 7,557, NEW BUY

Source: Oricon Weekly Singles Chart

(Click on the song name to watch the music video for that single. Then buy your favorites from Amazon Japan using the ‘BUY’ links.).

Oricon Singles Chart for the Week of Feb 9 – Feb 15:

(Rank, Artist, Song Name, No. of Units, Last week, Purchase Info.)

1. KAT-TUN, Love yourself, 354,231, NEW BUY

2. Hannya & Fruit Punch, Onara Hazukashikunai yo/Pirameki Taisou, 66,804, NEW BUY

3. Mizuki Nana, Silent Bible, 50,646, NEW BUY

4. Porno Graffitti, Hitomi no Oku o Nozokasete, 42,757, NEW BUY

5. Morning Musume, Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai, 36,169, NEW BUY

6. Sa-Ta AndaGi, Yambaru Kuina ga Tonda, 32,427, NEW BUY

7. supercell, Sayonara Memories, 20,099, NEW BUY

8. Shonan no Kaze, Gachi Sakura, 15,207, NEW BUY

9. Shimizu Shota x Kato Miliyah, Forever Love, 11,123, 4 BUY

10. Yuzu, Sakurae/My Life, 9,591, 3 BUY

Source: Oricon Weekly Singles Chart

(Click on the song name to watch the music video for that single. Then buy your favorites from Amazon Japan using the ‘BUY’ links.).

Oricon Singles Chart for the Week of Feb 2 – Feb 8:

(Rank, Artist, Song Name, No. of Units, Last week, Purchase Info.)

1. aiko, Modorenai Ashita, 58,435, NEW BUY

2. Yuzu, Sakurae/My Life, 49,301, NEW BUY

3. flumpool, Zanzou, 31,020, NEW BUY

4. Shimizu Shota x Kato Miliyah, Forever Love, 30,685, NEW BUY

5. TOKIO, advance/Mata Ashita ga Kuru, 25,926, NEW BUY

6. Tohoshinki, Break Out!, 17,139, 1 BUY

7. Scandal, Shunkan Sentimental, 16,672, NEW BUY

8. Buono!, Our Songs, 13,220, NEW BUY

9. One OK Rock, Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer, 10,819, NEW BUY

10. L’Arc-en-Ciel, Bless, 10,717, 2 BUY

Source: Oricon Weekly Singles Chart

(Click on the song name to watch the music video for that single. Then buy your favorites from Amazon Japan using the ‘BUY’ links.).

Oricon Singles Chart for the Week of Jan 26 – Feb 1:

(Rank, Artist, Song Name, No. of Units, Last week, Purchase Info.)

1. Tohoshinki, Break Out!, 255,917, NEW BUY

2. L’Arc-en-Ciel, Bless, 80,959, NEW BUY

3. AAA, Heart and Soul, 33,311, NEW BUY

4. Funky Monkey Babys, Namida/Yume, 22,344, NEW BUY

5. Tamura Yukari, My wish My love, 17,994, NEW BUY

6. Idoling, SOW Sense of Wonder, 17,098, NEW BUY

7. YUI, Gloria, 14,751, 1 BUY

8. Aqua Timez, Ehagaki no Haru, 13,380, NEW BUY

9. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Ryusei to Ballad, 10,988, NEW BUY

10. Nakashima Mika, Always, 9,822, 3 BUY

Source: Oricon Weekly Singles Chart

(Click on the song name to watch the music video for that single. Then buy your favorites from Amazon Japan using the ‘BUY’ links.).

Oricon Singles Chart for the Week of Jan 19 – Jan 25:

(Rank, Artist, Song Name, No. of Units, Last week, Purchase Info.)

1. YUI, Gloria, 80,750, NEW BUY

2. Koda Kumi, Can We Go Back, 31,078, NEW BUY

3. Nakashima Mika, Always, 21,175, NEW BUY

4. Russia (Takato Yasuhiro), Hetalia Character CD Vol. 7, 21,004, NEW BUY

5. Mizuki Nana, Phantom Minds, 53,970, 1 BUY

6. Nakano Fujiyoshi Sisters, Honey Bee, 11,153, NEW BUY

7. Kalafina, Hikari no Senritsu, 10,514, NEW BUY

8. Guardians 4, Going On!, 10,290, NEW BUY

9. Choshinsei, Last Kiss, 9,734, NEW BUY

10. Do As Infinity, Kimi ga Inai Mirai, 8,806, NEW BUY

Source: Oricon Weekly Singles Chart

(Click on the song name to watch the music video for that single. Then buy your favorites from Amazon Japan using the ‘BUY’ links.).

Oricon Singles Chart for the Week of Jan 12 – Jan 18:

(Rank, Artist, Song Name, No. of Units, Last week, Purchase Info.)

1. Mizuki Nana, Phantom Minds, 53,970, NEW BUY

2. Yaguchi Mari & Straw Hat, Kaze o Sagashite, 18,939, NEW BUY

3. Sakanaction, Aruku Around (Walking Around), 13,315, NEW BUY

4. Flow, Sign, 13,016, NEW BUY

5. Hata Motohiro, Ai, 11,006, NEW BUY

6. Kiyoharu, LAW’S, 10,904, NEW BUY

7. Fukuyama Masaharu, Hatsu Koi, 10,226, 2 BUY

8. Straightener, Man-like Creatures, 8,879, NEW BUY

9. The Birthday, Dig Zero, 8,455, NEW BUY

10. The Birthday, Muddy Cat Blues/Kurucchainaize, 8,206, NEW BUY

Source: Oricon Weekly Singles Chart

(Click on the song name to watch the music video for that single. Then buy your favorites from Amazon Japan using the ‘BUY’ links.).

One of the most frustrating parts of living in Japan, especially if you work in a Japanese office, is the fact that 125 million people take their vacations all at the same time. And short ones at that. If you are a foreigner, you may get away with asking for a long vacation at an irregular time of the year, but if you are a regular Japanese office worker, such requests are commonly frowned upon.

The national government has announced that it wants to address the problem of congestion that happens when everyone takes vacations at the same time, especially at ‘Golden Week’ and ‘Obon’ – by designating different holiday periods during the spring and autumn. Apparently the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (as if he didn’t have enough on his plate with such an extensive portfolio) Maehara Seiji is looking at a plan to spread Golden Week and Obon holidays over five blocs of five day holidays. The new system could be ready to start in 2011, and according to current plans the spring holidays would start in the south, and then move north in blocks of 5 days, so that the whole country aren’t on holiday at the same time. In the autumn, the holidays would begin in the north, and work their way south. The actual number of holidays would not change, they would just be shifted to different times.

Personally, I don’t see this solving that many problems. Because the holidays would be the same for everyone in the same area, people living in areas like Kanto (Tokyo/Yokohama/Chiba etc.) and Kansai (Osaka/Kyoto etc.) would all still be on holiday at the same time, so localized congestion would be virtually the same as it is now. There would still be the same number of people crowding into local airports and train stations, for example, and the mad rush on the highways to come back into the metro area from outside areas at the end of the holidays would be identical as well.

Aside from all that, surely the country would be better served by, rather than having the government tell everyone when they should go on vacation, encouraging people to use their own discretion and make their own plans… That may sound like a radical idea. Indeed, it is a concept that many Japanese workers are not very familiar with.

In Australia, as with most other countries, when you sign a work contract, you negotiate with your employer for certain pay, work conditions, and benefits. These are collectively considered your compensation for working, and include a certain number of days per year of vacation. Typically this will be 3-4 weeks per year. In Japan, by law, workers are also entitled to 3-4 weeks of vacation time per year (in addition to national holidays). Most work contracts include this number of vacation days. But rather than being considered part of a worker’s compensation, they are considered inconveniences. I’ve spoken to hundreds of office workers, and the argument I hear over and over again is that if someone takes a vacation during normal business times, everyone else has to do their work for them, and that puts people out. Unfortunately this logic is never extended to its logical conclusion – that when the other people in the office take their vacations, you will have to do their work, so it all evens out. In most Japanese offices, nobody wants to be the first to cause a disturbance, so rather than everyone being able to enjoy their vacations and covering for each other until it’s their turn, they just all give up their vacations and keep to the status quo…

If Maehara wants to reduce congestion and boost the tourism industry in the country, he will make a big deal of the fact that so many Japanese office workers are entitled, by law, to holidays that they never get to take because of cultural constraints. He will make an effort to make it more socially acceptable to ask for a 10 day vacation, and for people to not feel so damn guilty about leaving everyone else in the office when they do so. Surprisingly, this would have the added benefit of increasing productivity throughout Japan. So many office workers get burned out and never have a chance to recharge their batteries. Because even if they get 5 days off over Golden Week or Obon, they are surrounded by 125 million other people that are also trying to ‘relax’. Needless to say, that’s not very relaxing….

Masuzoe Yoichi spoke at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan yesterday, where he again highlighted the LDP’s need for reform. With the DPJ government’s approval ratings falling with every passing month, the LDP should theoretically be well placed to perform well at the Upper House elections scheduled for later this year. But they have so far failed to capitalize on any of the openings that the Hatoyama government has gifted them.

With the top two DPJ heavyweights (Hatoyama and Ozawa) under pressure over funding scandals, Tanigaki, the LDP leader, has tended to focus on trying to oust them through political pressure and scandal, rather than attempting to develop policies and arguments to win back power. The Tanigaki leadership has been as listless in many ways as the Hatoyama style of leadership, with the added problem of coming across as a spoiled child. Indeed last week, the LDP leader pulled a play out of the old DPJ playbook, by refusing to take part in Lower House budget committee sessions, until the DPJ call on Ozawa and others to be questioned over the funding scandal. The bluff was called, however, and the DPJ have had to slink back without achieving anything. While I am all for slowing down the work of government at times, the Tanigaki ploy was all but useless, and it made the LDP look like the powerless, minority DPJ of the Koizumi years, rather than a genuine governing force.

Masuzoe is one of the most popular members of the LDP, and is viewed by many as a likely future Prime Minister. As Health Minister, he was outspoken against bureaucratic waste, and is also a common presence on television where his no-nonsense views have made him a popular public figure. While he may be the face of the next itteration of the LDP, it is equally possible that he could break away to form a new party.

Ampontan had a great article last week about some of the jockeying for position that is going on in the LDP and DPJ, which is worth reading in full. He notes that the LDP and DPJ are both basically coalitions of convenience. I have argued here before that one of the ways in which Japanese politics differs from that of, say, the United States or Australia is that the political choices are somewhat less defined. Both of the major parties are mixes of both typical left and right ideas, and left and right leaning politicians. While it is true that the DPJ is more left leaning, and the LDP more right leaning, this doesn’t always result in major policy or idealogical differences between the two parties.

Regardless of the idealogical stances, neither party seems to be doing a very good job of capturing the sentiment of the country, and turning that into real policy. Masuzoe seems to sense an opening there, and has widely criticised the LDP for not reforming itself and becoming more relevant. He has recently convened a study group with other LDP members, where the focus has been on a return to more conservative, Koizumi era fiscal policy measures. One of the core principles of the group, as quoted by Ampontan, is that “economic growth is the basis for enhancing social welfare and minimizing income differentials”. This is a view that I can agree with whole-heartedly,

There has been a view among some that the LDP under Koizumi had been too ambitious in their economic goals, and that the policies of the Koizumi era led to the situation that Japan is in now, of a stunted economy. The truth is, however, that the seeds of this economy were sewn long before Koizumi ever took power, and indeed Japan has never truly recovered from the ‘lost decade’ of the 90s. And while Koizumi may have succeeded to some extent in his plan to ‘destroy the LDP’ system, to the extent that it was eventually pushed out of power, he was unsuccessful in breaking up the bureaucratic power structures, and thus unable to implement the majority of his policies to the extent necessary.

Following the election last year, where the DPJ swept to power, I noted that:

The best chance that the LDP has now, in my opinion, is to reconnect with people by becoming the party of fiscal responsibility… The greatest chance for the LDP to regain power within the next cycle or two is if the DPJ over-reach and spend too much… The LDP would do well to learn their lessons of the past, and position themselves as a truly fiscally conservative party (something they haven’t been for a long time).

Masuzoe may be the embodiment of this. He has hinted that if such a course becomes impossible within the LDP, he will not be averse to moving off and creating his own party. There are even suggestions that DPJ members such as Maehara Seiji (a conservative who has major disagreements with party big wig Ozawa) could be courted into such a party, creating another major reshuffling of political power. Whether such a party could gain enough strength to gain power in its own right, however, is an open question. Masuzoe is far more likely to be successful, at least in the short term, if he can bring pressure to bear on ousting Tanigaki. The question remains, however, as to whether any new incarnartion of the LDP will be any easier to reform and streamline than the old one, which fought tooth and nail against many of Koizumi’s reform plans.